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Recycled and other news

The meeting between councillors and an OPW representative seems finally to haven taken place around the end of April. Apparently, neither the people of Inishowen nor Donegal are worthy to receive information concerning the state and status of Grianan Aileach.

After an email from Anita Guidera from the Irish Independent, who tried in vain to find Grianan on an Irish tourism website, Failte Ireland responded and told her proudly on the 16th April, that Grianan Aileach “has only recently reopened a few weeks ago after major reconstruction works via the OPW hence the lack of presence on our consumer website. It has however, just been re-published on our consumer site” – a miscalculation by nearly a year. The gate of Grianan was re-opened at the end of April 2007 after it was taken down in June 2006.

Next news came from Maurice Harron, who sent a letter to Pauline Gleeson, Senior Archaeologist at the National Monuments Service for the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government. According to their letters, ‘Chief Archaeologist Brian K. Duffy has taken charge of the matter and will issue a detailed reply after reviewing the works being carried out by OPW at the National monument’.

On May 14, Councillor Pádraig MacLochlainn forwarded a document the OPW sent him, called “GRIANA~2 opwapril”. In the summary of the document it reveals that its original title was “Grianan Aileach 2/09/06” and is as usual a copy and paste statement with the addition of the assertion that Dr. Walter Bernard based his reconstruction of Grianan on Straigue Fort in Kerry. A remarkable conclusion indeed. Dr. Bernard mentioned it once on the first page of his report to the Royal Academy, since it is one of the few ringforts in Ireland with a similar platform interior and the best known .

Meanwhile, the OPW painted the very bright grey cement/concrete they used since the gate alteration in some shade of brown, so it won’t be so shiny, alienating and patio-like anymore. But they missed a few bits. And the same councillors, who should have at least attempted to take action for once in some recognisable manner against the pillage of the land, decided to take the Molasses Tower on the pier of Buncrana half way down instead, leaving it even more ruinous then before. The last one of its kind and with bags full of history. They left the rubbish though and the three rust ridden fishing vessels. The ferry started a few days ago and what an entry at arrival to Inishowen that must be. If brave visitors should decide to venture further despite this reception, they might find themselves stuck on the upper platform of Grianan, because the steps are now too steep and misshaped to come down and touch ground again.